


Never Mess with a Girls Bunny Ears

by strangeBeetles



Category: Bob's Burgers (Cartoon)
Genre: Age Difference, Drama, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-10 18:17:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7855984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeBeetles/pseuds/strangeBeetles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Logan stole her ears she figured they would be enemies for life. But when Louise sticks to the boy like glue in an effort to retrieve her hat, she realizes they may have more in common than she thought. A little story about how Louise and Logan's relationship progressed over time after he stole her ears.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The nine year old girls’ furious scream could be heard clear across town to the Wonder Warf, halting only when she had to gasp for some much needed air.

“What just friggin happened?” she yelled dumbfounded, desperately trying to cover the top of her head with her hands. Her two siblings stood a few feet away, mouths agape, fearing that their younger sister would turn her rage upon them, merely from lack of any more deserving victims.

Fortunately for them, she turned and dashed in the direction of their house, small hands still glued to the top of her head.

The two siblings left behind, looked at each other and let out a simultaneous breathe of relief before following in the same direction as their sister.

***

When Louise Belcher finally reached her family residence she was out of breath from her rigorous sprint and nearly collapsed to her knees at the front entrance. She endured the wobbling of her small legs and yanked the door open, one hand still trying in vain to cover the top of her head.

She rushed up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. Her foot caught near the top and she fell almost flat on her face, catching herself on her elbows at the last second.

She stumbled to her feet, thinking offhandedly that she was going to have some nasty bruises, and continued to her room.

Finally reaching her bedroom, she slammed the door shut behind her and slid down to the floor, her hands falling away from her head at the same time. Now that she was alone she could try to process what had just happened. Her ears were gone, taken by some stupid teenager. She felt uncomfortable and exposed, like some great piece of her identity was missing. Which, she supposed, it was. She could hardly remember a time when she was without her pink bunny ears.

She could feel the anger building up inside her, threatening to explode at any moment. Her thoughts were flooding with a multitude of plans for getting revenge on the blonde boy, ideas increasing by the second.  
A smile began to creep across her face at the thought of retaliation, growing wider until she was laughing uncontrollably.

Louise stood up and grabbed a navy hoodie from her closet, pulled it on and covered her head with the hood.  
There was no way that scumbag teenager was going to get away with this. He had no idea who he was messing with, but Louise would show him.

She was going to take back her ears no matter what.

***

The next day, Louise asked Tina and Gene to cover for her so she could enact her plans for retrieving her stolen ears. She snuck out of school early and made her way to the steps where the teenagers spent their afternoons. She pulled the strings of her hoodie tighter around her head and tried to ignore the heat from the afternoon sun. When she arrived at the steps there was no sign of the teens yet. Good, she thought, maybe this would give her the upper hand.

She positioned herself on the steps to wait, deciding to show mercy and give the blonde a chance to relinquish her hat before doing anything too drastic.

It didn’t take long before Louise heard approaching voices accompanied by the distinct sound of skateboards rolling along the sidewalk. Three teenage boys came rolling into view but it was the one wearing a set of pink bunny ears that caught her attention.

Louise could feel her rage bubbling up again at the sight of some random boy wearing her ears. Her ears!  
She took a deep breath and tried to stamp down her temper. She needed to stay calm if she wanted to keep her wits about, go about this rationally.

The boys stopped, looking a bit perplexed when they saw Louise sitting there.  
“Hello.” She said, standing up. “I see your wearing my ears.” She took a few measured steps towards the blonde. Stay calm Louise, she reminded herself.

”Oh, they’re off center a smidge, let me just… Gah!” She lunged for her hat, hoping to take the boy by surprise but he jerked back out of reach.

So much for calm and rational, she thought.

With a frustrated shout, she jumped at him again but he just grabbed her arm, holding her at bay with minimal effort. He towered a good foot and a half over her and she silently cursed her small stature.

“Nice try kid,” he said, before releasing her arm.

“Fine,” she said, huffing out a breath and brushing non-existent dirt from her hoodie. “We’re all young professionals here.” She pasted a sweet, innocent smile on her face and attempted to look docile. “I’m Louise; by the way, I don’t think I got your name.” She grinned up at him, the picture of friendliness.

He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously before answering. “Logan.” He slowly drew out the vowels in a way that revealed his wariness.

“Logan.” Louise extended the vowels in much the same way he had. “What’s this?” She reached into the front pocket of her hoodie and pulled out a small wad of cash. “Oh, it’s 1234…9 dollars for the hat.” She spread the bills out like a fan and waved them in front of his face.

She knew it was a long shot but hoped the teen was hard up for cash and would just take the deal. She waited for a few hopeful moments while Logan stared at the money. But then he dashed her hopes simply by saying, “You can’t buy me, like some cheap sex lady.”

Louise was seriously running low on patience and she could see that this was going nowhere. She let out a vicious scream, losing the last bit of restraint she had on her temper, and charged Logan again. She reached desperately for her hat but her efforts were fruitless. He held her back just as smoothly as before.

Louise gritted her teeth as Logan began to skateboard circles around her. The childish taunts they threw at each other made even the young Louise feel embarrassed. Something about the kid just ground at her nerves and made her lose control. She supposed it was because he had the guts to stand up to her, where most people she could easily cow with a few harsh threats. Louise stopped for a moment to catch her breath.

Her cheeks were on fire, from anger not humiliation, she told herself, which was probably only half true. Her gaze was fixed on her shoes as she attempted to regain her composure, but she jerked her head up at the quickly fading sound of skateboard wheels. There she saw Logan, speeding down the street on his board.

“Oh, you are not getting off that easy.” She said to herself, before dashing down the street after him. By the time Louise caught up to him she was already breathless but refused to surrender.

“So,” she said between wheezing gasps for air. “Where are we going? My calendar is wide open.”

Logan ignored her, only sparing a glance from the corner of his eye as she struggled to keep pace with him. Just as Louise thought her legs would collapse beneath her, Logan slowed to a stop in front of a large, yellow house. She looked up at the towering, Victorian style home feeling a bit more intimidated, but refusing to let it show.

_Of course_ , she thought, _He’s rich._

Logan turned to her and said “Well, I’m home now so, run along kid.” He looked slightly amused, watching her breathe heavily from the dogged chase. There was no way this spoiled kid was keeping her ears. She would follow him forever if that’s what it took, and she decided to tell him as much.

“No, we’re home now.” She said, shoving her finger at his chest for affect. “Until I get those ears back, wherever you go, I go.” She trailed after him up the front steps. She would have followed him inside too if he hadn’t slammed the door in her face.

But that was okay, she could wait.

Louise looked towards the pier and saw the sun just starting to set, the streets full with a warm, orange light. She walked down the front steps and found a nice, green patch of grass to lie down on, mostly hidden behind immaculately trimmed hedges.

The sun dropped further into the ocean. The luminous glow faded with it, replaced by dark, ever growing shadows.

Louise jerked her head to the side, startled by a rustling in the bushes. She blinked after a moment and shook her head. “Probably just a cat.” She reassured herself quietly.

It’s not that Louise was particularly afraid of the dark but anyone would be a bit unnerved in her situation. Alone and deprived of light in foreign territory. Especially a nine year old girl.

But that was okay because Louise wasn’t a normal nine year old girl. She was tough and ruthless and she could do this. If it was to get her ears back, she could do anything. Right?

She rolled over, appreciating the feel of the lush lawn beneath her. The sensation of live grass wasn’t something she got to experience often, living in an apartment/restaurant. She pressed her face to the greenery and breathed in the earthy scent.

_Yeah. I can do this_ , she reaffirmed before drifting off to sleep.

***

Louise started awake, alarmed by her unfamiliar surroundings. Her heartbeat increased rapidly before remembering where she was and why she was there.

She heaved a sigh of relief, sat up and leaned her back against Logan’s house. The sky was now a dark, navy blue, brightened by a smattering of dull stars and a waning half-moon.

She looked down at her kupi-kochi wristwatch, it read just past eleven o’ clock. She let out a frustrated growl at the thought that she had only slept for about two hours. This was going to be a long night.

Louise grabbed a bottle of water out of her backpack and took a long swig. She turned her head toward the sky and thought to look for constellations to pass the time, but before she got the chance, a pair of bright headlights swept across the house.

She quickly crawled behind the nearest bush and poked her head out to see a shiny, silver Mercedes’ pull into Logan’s driveway. The headlights shut off and a man wearing a dress shirt and glasses stepped out, a suit jacket draped over one arm. Logan’s dad, she figured.

He looked worn and tired as he shuffled up the front steps, fumbling for his keys in the dark before entering the house. A single light flicked on before he managed to close the door.

Louise could hear a none-too-happy female voice, presumably Logan’s mother, and the irritated responses coming from his father.

She scooted closer to the house and leaned against the wall again, her curiosity getting the better of her.  
The voices were escalating, getting louder and hateful, more vicious than anything she had ever heard from her own parents. Yeah they fought sometimes, okay, more than sometimes, but nothing like this.

She felt a sudden twinge of guilt, like she was intruding on something personal, which, she supposed, was exactly what she was doing. She scooted away from the house in an attempt to preserve some of the family’s privacy. After moving a safe distance away, she laid back down in the grass hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep.

But when she looked up at the house a bit of movement in one of the second story windows caught her attention. She shuffled deeper into the shadows and kept her gaze trained on the window. 

The moon bathed the building in just enough silvery light that she could make out the shape of two hands as they pushed the window open. A head of messy, blonde hair popped out of the shadows, half covered by a pair of bulky headphones.

Logan scanned the surrounding area, most likely verifying that the streets were empty. Fortunately for Louise, he didn’t think to check his own front yard too carefully.

Reassured that no one was around, Logan climbed onto the window sill and sat with his legs dangling over the edge.

If Louise listened closely she could faintly hear the music from his headphones, something loud with thundering drums. It seemed fitting to the task of drowning out his parents riotous quarreling.

She felt more than a little bit creepy for watching him like this but she couldn’t tear her eyes away. She watched Logan’s eyelids slide shut as he blew out a long breath, fiddling with something in his hands.

It was her ears.

He opened his eyes and looked down at her hat for a moment, his expression unreadable, before pulling it back in his arm like his intention was to throw it. She watched the emotions on his face shift between anger and frustration before settling into a tired frown. His arm lowered, setting the bunny ears back on his lap with a discontented sigh.

Logan sat nearly motionless, his head upturned at the sky, for what Louise thought felt like hours but in reality was only about twenty minutes. She feared to make the slightest move, lest she be caught peeping on such a private moment. And that would just be uncomfortable for everyone involved.

But finally Logan removed his headphones and cocked his head toward the house, as if listening for any sound. Louise listened too, realizing that his parents arguing had at last subsided. She stared quietly as Logan climbed back into the room and shut the window, taking her ears with him.

Louise breathed a sigh of relief, no longer in danger of being discovered.

She wished she hadn’t seen that. Wished she had never witnessed the dejected, weary expression he revealed when he thought no one was looking. She wanted him to be a shallow, spoiled brat with a perfect life so she could hate him. Hate him for taking what belonged to her even though he had everything.

But now she knew that he didn’t really have everything, and once you know something, it’s almost impossible to forget that you know it.

Louise reached up and settled her hands on the top of her head, reminding herself of what was missing and strengthening her resolve. Reminding herself that it didn’t matter if Logan was sad and lonely, or that he suffered through his parents vicious fighting.

None of it mattered to her because she was going to take back her ears one way or the other.

She closed her eyes in an attempt to get more sleep and tried to forget about Logan’s stupid, lonely face in the moonlight.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Louise rose with the sun, ate a granola bar from her backpack and stood at Logan’s front entrance to wait for him. When the door finally swung open, Louise was ready and standing in the exact spot that Logan had left her the day before.

Logan’s eyes grew wide with undisguised shock at the sight of her, before he quickly schooled his features back into that of an apathetic teenager. But Louise hadn’t missed that look, and she took no small amount of pleasure in the fact that she had surprised him.

Surprised was good. It meant she was unpredictable, giving her the advantage, at least for the moment.

After another failed attempt at ripping the hat from Logan’s head began one of the longest days of Louise’s life.

She hadn’t gotten much sleep, unsurprisingly, and her legs felt like jelly from her strenuous chase the day before. She tried not to let it show how weary she truly was as she once again began jogging beside the skateboarding blonde.

She started pestering Logan with unnecessary questions, hoping to bother him, but soon realized that she needed to focus her full energy on breathing. Her breaths were coming in painful gasps and she wondered if this was anything like what Rudy felt when he had an asthma attack.

She noticed Logan sneaking glances at her and tried in vain to even out her breathing. She didn’t want to show any weakness, especially to Logan.

Just as Louise feared she would pass out from exhaustion, Logan slowed to a stop, picked up his board and started walking like it was only natural. She was grateful to have a break but eyed him suspiciously at the sudden change.

It almost seemed as if he stopped to give her a rest. But that couldn’t be possible, right? This was Logan after all.

Louise shook her head to clear it of unwanted thoughts, but couldn’t help but return her wary gaze upon the blonde boy.

He caught her staring and said “What, you got something say?” before hurriedly turning away.

Louise thought he sounded oddly flustered. And was he _blushing_? There was no way; she was obviously seeing things, because horrible, thieving teenagers most certainly did not blush like innocent school girls.

And for once, she did not have anything to say.

They continued walking until Logan halted in front of a vending machine and fished a couple of dollars from his back pocket. Louise watched, only now realizing how parched her morning sprint had left her.

He purchased a single water, grabbed the bottle after it clattered from inside the machine and untwisted the cap with a snap. Louise stared on as he took long, satisfying gulps of water, unconsciously licking her lips at the sight.

He downed half the contents of the bottle before stopping to smirk at Louise.

“You want some?” He asked teasingly, angling the bottle towards her.

Of course she wanted some, and he knew just how badly she was craving the water, she was sure. This was a battle, an admittedly small one, but a battle all the same and there was no chance in hell she was going to lose.

She scrunched up her nose, trying her hardest to appear repulsed at the thought of sharing anything with him. “No way, I don’t want your stupid Logan germs!” She crossed her arms over her chest for emphasis and forced herself to stop imagining the feel of cool, refreshing water as it passed her lips.

“Are you sure?” He said, the amused smirk on his face becoming an ever present companion. “All you have to do is say please and I’ll let you have some.”

Louise glared up at him, contemplating whether or not she should just gut punch him and take it. Ultimately, she decided against it. “No friggin’ way! I’d rather die than beg your slimy ass for anything!”

“Suit yourself.” He gave a little shrug then proceeded to drain the rest of the water while Louise watched in thinly disguised torment.

The teen crushed the empty plastic in his hands and tossed it into the nearest recycling bin before turning to continue his walk to school, skateboard still tucked under his arm.

Louise stared at him, puzzling over his unexpected behavior before rushing to catch up with the boy.

“At least you recycle,” she mumbled, her eyes glued to her shoes.

“What was that?” He asked.

Louise looked up but didn’t respond, staring straight ahead. She was struggling to piece together the scant amount of knowledge she had on Logan, trying to figure out his true personality, as they finished their walk to the high school in silence.

***

When the school finally came into view Louise stared at the chaos and couldn’t help but dread the day she would enter high school. The front entrance alone was overflowing with people, teachers and students alike, laughing, and yelling and just being noisy in general.

She didn’t want to be here. She needed to up her game plan, be more proactive so she could escape the teenage prison with her ears as soon as possible.

Louise turned to face Logan but found that he was studying her with a peculiar expression on his face. She hadn’t been expecting that and looked away too quickly, pulling her hoodie strings tighter before speaking.

“So, Logan, what are we doing? Going to class, getting a drink, meeting friends, take a pee? Huh? Huh?” She asked any question that came to mind in rapid succession, hardly breaking for air.

She hoped that if she was bothersome enough he would eventually give up the hat just to get rid of her. It wasn’t the greatest tactic but she figured she’d start small before breaking out the big guns.

Of course she wasn’t entirely sure what the big guns were yet but she would figure it out.

She trailed behind Logan as he threaded his way through the crowded hall, a few people sending curious glances their way, but no one stopped them to ask what a nine year old was doing in a high school.

When Logan halted in front of the boys’ bathroom, Louise inwardly cringed but managed not to let her discomfort show outwardly.­

“You know what,” he said, that privileged smirk on his face indicating that he thought he was winning. “I think I will pee, in the boys’ room.”

“What,” Louise challenged, “You think I won’t follow you in there?”

He raised his eyebrows at her before disappearing behind the bathroom door, the awful stench already invading her nostrils.

 _It’s for my ears. It’s for my ears._ She repeated the mantra in her head like a prayer and pushed open the door before losing her resolve. Even though it felt like revealing a weakness, Louise couldn’t help but squeeze her eyes shut tightly, desperately hoping not to bump into anyone.

When they emerged a few minutes later Louise felt slightly traumatized, coming to the conclusion that teenage boys were probably the most vile creatures on the planet.

Logan was smirking at her, his expression far too triumphant. She quickly schooled her features to look bored and unaffected. Logan just chuckled, shook his head slightly and proceeded down the long, considerably less packed hallway.

Louise looked around, only a few stragglers were left milling about in the hall.

“I think you’re late.” She said.

Logan spared her a glance and gave an unconcerned shrug of his shoulders. “Whatever.”

They continued to walk around the campus aimlessly until they turned a corner and were met with a pretty, blonde teacher striding towards them. Logan immediately spun on his heel at the sight of her, hastily walking in the opposite direction.

“Logan.” She called his name in that reprimanding tone all teachers seem to have mastered. He stopped, blew out a suffering sigh and turned reluctantly to face her, all while Louise stood off to the side and watched the situation unfold.

She approached him briskly, her pink high heels clicking on the dirty tile floor.

Louise couldn’t help but notice the woman’s perfect proportions and tall elegant height, dressed mostly in black with accents of hot pink. Her eyes were a dazzling blue that Louise thought looked very familiar but couldn’t place where from.

She was honestly stunning, even Louise would admit, but it looked like it took her a lot of time and effort to reach such a glamorous outcome.

She stopped just in front of Logan, her eyes jumping curiously from him to Louise.

“Why aren’t you in class?” She asked, folding her arms across her chest like a scolding parent. “And who’s the kid?” She turned to Louise and crouched down a bit so they were at eye level. “Are you lost sweetie?”

Louise raised her eyebrows at that. The lady seemed to have good enough intentions but if there was one thing Louise despised, it was being treated like a helpless child.

She was about to share some very un-childlike opinions with the woman but Logan stepped between them before she had the chance.

“She’s not lost. She’s a friend of mine.”

 _Friend?_ Louise wrinkled her nose at the term, perturbed at hearing him refer to her as such. They most assuredly were not friends and she was about to remind him just as much but he promptly changed the subject.

“Anyway, why do you care if I go to class? You’re not my teacher.” He folded his arms and turned his eyes away, appearing almost embarrassed.

The teacher looked slightly wounded by his brusque response but pushed on undeterred. “I care about you Logan, and I want you to get into a good college. You’re almost a senior, you need to stop messing around and take your education seriously.” She looked like she was going to continue her lecture but was interrupted by Logan before having the chance.

“I know, alright? I’ll go to class.” He cut in, exasperated, but his words lost all traces of irritation near the end, tapering off quietly. He stared at the floor, hands fisted in the pockets of his jeans.

Louise turned her eyes to the blonde teacher, still unsure as to what her relationship to Logan was, and watched her blow out a lengthy sigh.

“Good,” she said, “I’m trusting you. Now, I’m going to see if I can locate the parents of your little friend here.”

Louise figured that was her cue to depart, and quickly. She couldn’t have her parents knowing that she ditched school in order to follow a teenage boy around all day. They would probably think Tina was rubbing off on her.

Before either of them could react she was tearing down the hallway and out the front doors of the building. She stopped to gasp for air on the front steps. Getting her ears back certainly did involve a lot more physical effort then she had anticipated.

The events of the past few days were starting to catch up with her and she plopped down on the schools’ front steps with an overtired groan.

She had been intending to stick to Logan all day, for the most effective results, but with her plans dashed by that teacher she would just have to wait for him to finish school.

Louise turned her eyes up at the towering magnolias, mesmerized by the light pink blossoms flowing in the breeze, falling around her like little snowflakes. It was almost silent but for the blowing wind and the occasional car and her eyelids felt heavy with exhaustion. She couldn’t keep her fatigue at bay any longer, severely lacking the strength to stay upright.

She supposed now would be as good a time as any to steal a few hours of much needed rest. She lay back along the length of the step, using her backpack as a makeshift pillow, and instantly drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

***

“Hey.”

Louise was roused from her sleep by a familiar voice. She wrinkled her forehead in irritation at being disturbed and squeezed her eyes shut tighter in an attempt to fend off waking.

“Go away,” she mumbled, annoyance clear in her tone.

Something feeling distinctly like a shoe began nudging her leg. She let out a long exhale and accepted the fact that she would be getting no more rest at the moment.

Louise reluctantly opened her eyes, seeing first, her pink bunny ears before focusing on the person wearing them. Logan was standing over her, his ever present smirk absent for once, replaced by a stoic expression. He continued to prod at her leg with his foot despite her now being wide awake.

“You can stop that, you know. I’m awake.” She pushed herself up into a sitting position, glaring at Logan for interrupting her long awaited nap. Her throat was scratchy and sore from lack of water and she was starting to feel desperate for a drink.

“You shouldn’t sleep here. Someone might kidnap you.” Logan said. It sounded like a joke but Louise thought she detected a note of genuine concern in his voice. She quickly wrote it off as her imagination.

“Who would be stupid enough to kidnap me?” She said, looking up at Logan, a challenge in her eyes.

He surprised her by laughing. A warm, throaty chuckle that Louise thought was actually rather nice. It was the first laugh she had heard from him that sounded honest.

“You’re right,” he said, “Let’s go get lunch.” He turned and began walking down the street, Louise hustled after him feeling oddly conflicted.


	3. Chapter 3

“Where are we going?” Louise questioned as she struggled to match Logan’s pace, her legs only being about half as long as his.

“You’ll see,” was his vague response.

Louise was unsure of how long she had been napping, but judging by the nearly empty streets, the high school had not yet let out for the day.

“Are you ditching?” she asked.

“Yup.” He said, popping the ‘p’ at the end.

“Won’t you get in trouble?” She asked, glancing up to see the same stoic expression on his face as earlier.

“Probably.” He said, looking like it didn’t bother him in the slightest.

“Well aren’t you quite the juvenile delinquent.” She mocked lightly.

Honestly, she held a small amount of respect for that. Louise had never been one to obey authority figures herself and often got along better with those who felt the same. She supposed in that aspect they shared a bit of common ground.

“Look who’s talking,” was his only response.

Louise took a moment to observe their surroundings, realizing they had wandered into an unfamiliar part of town, well, unfamiliar to her, and considerably wealthier than she was accustomed to.

She took in the comely sights; the posh boutiques, restaurants that actually had more than a two star rating and the clean, well-kept beach front, feeling acutely out of place.

This must be where wealthy kids like Logan spent their leisure time. As opposed to Louise who hunted for lost change beneath the dock and spent her findings on ninety-nine cent fudge.

Not that she was complaining. It was one of her favorite past times, gorging on fortune fudge and getting sick after riding the zany planes. But it made her realize just how different she and Logan were.

Even if they held a commonality in their rebellious nature, they still lived in two entirely different worlds.

That fact shouldn’t bother Louise but for some unknown reason it did. And that bothered her even more.

She found herself scowling when she asked “You’re not taking me to some fancy restaurant, are you?”

He snorted lightly. “No way, who wants to eat in one of those stuffy places?”

“Then where are we going?” Louise asked, somewhat annoyed at being kept in the dark about their destination.

“Bendel Park, it’s where all the food trucks gather for lunch.”

Louise barked out a humorless laugh. “You?” She said incredulous. “You eat from a food truck?”

“Yeah. What of it?” He sounded honestly puzzled by her scoffing.

“Oh nothing,” she said. “It just seems a little low for one so high and mighty such as yourself.” She stifled a chuckle, her taunting words dripping with sarcasm.

“Whatever,” he said, ignoring her obvious goading towards a fight. “The food’s good and I get sick of eating at boring company dinners with my parents all the time.”

His expression seemed to soften a bit before adding. “Eating outdoors is definitely the way to do it.”

After a few more minutes of walking they arrived at the park. A multitude of food trucks were gathered around the park, each one accompanied by an ever growing line of lunch-goers.

Well, all but one. Louise spotted a particularly shabby Mexican food truck near the back, devoid of a single customer.

She was shocked to see Logan bypass the other trendy trucks and head straight for the dilapidated bus. She followed him, perplexed once again by his unexpected character.

A tall, Hispanic woman stood behind the counter, her face lighting up when she spotted Logan approaching.

“Logan,” she said excitedly. “I thought you would not come today.”

She had a subtle accent. Beautiful in a way that made Louise think Gene would like to sample her voice with his keyboard. She looked to be about the same age as Louise’s parents, but the faint dimples that emerged on her cheeks when she smiled gave her a more youthful feel.

 _I guess he just knows every gorgeous woman in a ten mile radius._ Louise thought bitterly, remembering the stunning teacher from earlier.

“Hey Sofia,” Logan said, addressing the lovely restauranteur as Louise came to a halt beside him. “How’s business going today?” He sounded friendly and genuinely interested, once again to Louise’s surprise.

The smile fell from Sofia’s face as she let out a frustrated sigh.

“Not good, as usual, but we are managing to scrape by. It certainly helps that you are such a bottomless pit, you silly boy.” She laughed, a high pitched, tinkling sound that had Logan grinning up at her.

 _His real smile,_ Louise thought. Not that fake smirk that was usually glued to his face. She wondered who exactly this woman was that Logan would show her such an honest, joyful expression. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from that smile.

“It’s nice,” Louise mumbled.

She hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud until both sets of eyes were suddenly upon her. She felt a blush creeping up her face and tried to will it away, unsure of how to recover from her slip.

What was wrong with her? Why did she say that? And what the hell was she blushing for?

Sofia saved her from further embarrassment by breaking the silence.

“Who’s you’re friend Logan? She’s cute.”

“Oh,” he glanced at Louise then back at Sofia before answering. “This is Louise. I thought I’d take her to get lunch at the town’s best kept secret eatery.” He ended his sentence with a little wink directed at Sofia.

Sofia tossed her head back and laughed like Logan had just shared a hilarious joke.

“If only it wasn’t a secret.” She said after her boisterous laughter had died down. She pressed both hands flat on the counter and leaned forward. “Well then, what can I get for you two?”

Logan didn’t hesitate before answering. “Four tacos and two churros.” He glanced at Louise and seemed to remember something. “Oh, and two bottles of water.”

“Okay kids, that will be ready soon.” She smiled at them before disappearing into the kitchen.

“Your treat, right?” Louise asked, giving Logan a “friendly” smack on the back before searching for a comfortable place to wait for their food.

“Yes,” he grumbled. “And ow,” he added, gingerly rubbing the spot where Louise had hit him.

Louise ignored his complaints; she hadn’t hit him _that_ hard.

She located a set of stairs leading down to the beach nearby and took a seat on the top step, stretching her legs out in front of her. Logan followed, dropping down on the step beside her.

“You like tacos, right?” He asked casually.

“Of course, who doesn’t like tacos?” She responded, mildly affronted that he could think her to have such bad taste.

“Good.” He said. “Sofia makes the best tacos in town. It’s too bad nobody knows her restaurant exists.”

“Are you friends?” she asked, curious to know what kind of relationship they had, though not entirely certain why.

She watched him smile fondly before answering. “She’s more like an extra mom, really. In a good way.” He suddenly looked a bit concerned before adding, “Don’t tell my mom I said that. She’d freak.”

Louise made no promises and filed that little morsel of knowledge away for possible later use.

“How did you even meet?” she questioned, still puzzled by their odd friendship.

Logan seemed to be considering whether to answer or not but finally responded after a few drawn out moments.

“About a year ago, I ran away from home. Sofia was the one who convinced me to go back.

Louise wasn’t sure what she had been expecting but it wasn’t that. She waited a few seconds for him to say more. When he didn’t, she couldn’t help but ask.

“That’s it? No details?” She was trying to sound uninterested but in reality she was terribly curious.

“Nope.” He said with a smile Louise found quite infuriating.

“Wow, Logan. You sure can tell a good story.” She returned sarcastically but didn’t push the subject any further, instead turning her gaze towards the rolling ocean.

Sofia called to let them know their food was ready and Logan stood to retrieve it. She could hear the two chatting cheerfully before Logan returned a minute later, reclaiming his seat beside Louise and setting the lunch between them. He fished two tacos from within a brown, paper bag and handed her one.

She took it, eyeing Logan and then the taco distrustfully. She really shouldn’t have let him handle the food without close supervision. Who knows what kind of toxic substances he could have slipped into her food while she wasn’t looking.

“You take the first bite.” She demanded, nodding slightly at her possibly poisoned taco shell.

“What?” he chuckled “You think I’m trying to poison you?”

She arched a single dark eyebrow at him.

“It’s the perfect chance to get rid of me. I, myself, would never pass up on such an opportunity.”

 _And I’m starting to think that you and I are more alike than I’d care to admit._ She didn’t add.

Logan just stared silently at her for a moment before he laughed lightly, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Fine, whatever.”

Before she could react, Logan leaned in close, dipped his head and took a sizeable bite of the taco still in Louise’s hands, his warm breath caressing her skin. So near was he that the hair peeking out from beneath Louise’s bunny ears brushed almost imperceptibly against her cheek. Her face grew warm from the soft, feather light touch and unexpected closeness.

Her eyes were wide as Logan pulled away, chewing thoughtfully and swallowing before speaking.

“See? No poison.”

Louise was flustered, pulling her hoodie strings tighter in an attempt to hide her flushed cheeks. She decided to handle it the way she handled most unwanted emotions. Cover it up with anger.

“Aw geez!” she said glaring at him. “You got your Logan germs all over my taco.”

Logan only laughed, clearly amused.

“Here,” he offered his already half eaten taco to her. “I’ll let you get your Louise germs all over my taco if it will make you feel better.”

She contemplated his generous offer before faking an exaggerated gag.

“Yeah right, you wish you could have my germs.”

“Oh, you caught me.” He said teasingly before taking another large bite of his food. “Seriously though, try it. It’s good.”

Louise glanced at the food in her hand before taking a tentative bite.

 _Whoa,_ she thought after chewing and swallowing.

“That really is good.” She said, taking another eager bite.

Logan smiled widely at her. “See? What did I tell you? Sofia makes the best Mexican food for miles.” He glanced over his shoulder at Sofia’s deserted truck. “It really is a shame she doesn’t get more business.”

“I know the feeling.” Louise said distractedly, thinking of her dad’s underappreciated burgers.

“Hm?” he questioned, turning back to face her.

“Oh…nothing.” She said, finishing her taco and moving on to take a bite of the sweet smelling churro, which like the taco, did not disappoint.

She let slip a little contented hmm after taking another bite of the sugary pastry.

Logan’s snickering caught her attention and Louise turned to confront him, a blunt remark already on the tip of her tongue. But she bit it back when she saw his face.

Logan was leaning forward, arms resting on his knees, head resting on his arms with his face turned to Louise. He was staring at her too intently for comfort, a relaxed grin on his face.

_Why the hell does he look so happy?_

She turned away and swallowed the lump of now cold churro still in her mouth, her face running hot once again.

“Stop that.” It didn’t come out as forcefully as she’d intended.

“Stop what?” He asked, eyes never abandoning their focus on her.

She watched his smile grow a little wider. He was definitely getting a kick out of watching her squirm under his intense gaze.

“Stop staring at me. It’s creepy as hell.” She shifted a bit before catching herself, not wanting to reveal that his scrutinizing was setting her on edge.

“I was just wondering why you’re so insistent on keeping your head covered.”

His sincere interest caught her off guard. Not many people had the guts to really ask about her ears and the subject made her a little uneasy.

She busied herself with untwisting the cap on her water bottle, only now remembering just how parched she was. She took long, thirst quenching gulps, quickly draining half the bottle before stopping for air.

Louise considered his question for a moment before attempting to answer.

“Even I’m not completely sure why.” She squeezed the half-full bottle in her hands before continuing. “I guess it’s just that my ears have been there for so long, I don’t really know how to be without them.”

She watched as Logan reached up and deftly ran his fingers along the edge of her hat, seeming to not even be aware that he was doing it.

“Where did you get it?” He asked, awkwardly dropping his hand and giving her his full attention.

“My dad.” She said after a brief moment of hesitation.

Louise swallowed before speaking again.

“There was this ‘incident’ when I was in kindergarten.” She made air quotes with her fingers when she said ‘incident’. “None of the girls in class liked me. I have no idea why though. I mean, come on, I’m very likeable.”

 She was trying to make a joke, lighten up the gravity that had somehow befallen the conversation, and was relieved when Logan chuckled softly.

“So one day the girls decided it would be funny to put all of their chewed gum in my hair while the teacher wasn’t looking. Really original thinking on their part.” She said sarcastically.

“Anyway, there was so much of it stuck in my hair my parents had no choice but to shave it off almost completely. I hated it, refused to leave my room for days. Until one night my dad came in with a pair of pink bunny ears. They were way too big, of course, kept falling over my eyes until I grew into them.” She smiled fondly at the memory. “But I loved them anyway.”

Louise was starting to worry that all of this sentimentality would taint her image and hastily added.

“Oh, and don’t worry. I got my revenge. The next day at school I sent those brats home with black eyes and fat lips. I then got expelled and had to switch schools but it was worth it.”

Logan let out an incredulous laugh at the idea of a five year old Louise unleashing her fists upon her kindergarten class.

Louise joined in his laughter a moment before becoming more serious, adding as an afterthought.

“And I’ve worn them every day since. They’re my ears, Logan; they may as well be an extra set of limbs.”

Logan’s expression turned somber, shifting his gaze from Louise to the immense sea spanning out before them, unable to bear the look in her eyes.

“Want to go for a swim?” He said far too casually before rushing down the steps and charging through the sand towards the crashing waves.

Louise clenched her fists at her sides, angry that Logan had just brushed her off like that. She had just revealed something incredibly intimate, not even sure why she had done it. She never shared that memory with anyone, and yet she had easily opened up to Logan before even considering what she was doing.

 _Maybe he did poison my food after all,_ she thought, scrambling for an explanation to her out of character confession.

She released a calming exhale before ambling down the stairs to the beach.

When she reached the shoreline Logan was already wading through the roiling ocean fully clothed, water lapping at his denim clad legs.

Louise kicked off her shoes, leaving them in the sand with her discarded backpack before stepping closer to the water. The warm sand slipping between her toes gradually faded into cold, damp earth, leaving wet footprints behind her.

“What are you doing?” Louise called out to Logan, cupping her hands around her mouth in an attempt to be heard over the rushing sea. Irritation from his earlier snub was still present in her tone.

He turned to her before responding.

“I’m taking a swim.” He spread his arms out wide as if to say that was the most obvious answer.“You can swim, right?” he taunted.

“Yes Logan, I can swim.” She called matter-of-factly.

“Well then come on.” He motioned for her to join him before abruptly dropping below the surface.

Louise stared at the spot he had been moments ago, her annoyance changing into nervousness the longer he stayed under.

“Logan.” She called, taking a few steps into the water, still frigid from early spring.

 _Oh great, he’s dead,_ she thought dryly before wading deeper, the water splashing around her bare knees.

Just as suddenly as he had vanished, Logan burst from the water beside Louise, wrapped his arms around her waist and plunged them both beneath the salty, blue depths.

Luckily for Louise she really was a good swimmer and managed to hold her breath by instinct before being fully submerged. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t give Logan hell for pulling such a stunt.

When they breached the surface Louise gasped for air, struggling to break free of Logan’s solid hold around her waist.

“You ass!” she yelled, finally freeing herself from his strong grip and taking the first chance she could to punch him in the gut. It wasn’t nearly as hard as she was capable of but it still caused Logan to curl over with a pained groan.

He recovered quickly though and to Louise’s surprise he was laughing amusedly, despite the hardy fist to the gut.

“I’m sorry,” he said between laughter “I couldn’t resist.”

They were both completely soaked now, clothes clinging to their skin and salt water dripping from their hair. Despite the chilly water and the unexpected dip Louise found herself laughing along with Logan freely.

That is before she paused to shove Logan hard on the chest. He fell back into the ocean with an undulating splash and popped his head out a moment later to glare at Louise.

“Hey, you were asking for it.” She said, laughing openly at the sight of his sodden hair plastered awkwardly to his head.

“Fair enough.” He conceded before flopping over to float on his back, closing his eyes to the midday sun.

Louise watched him drift peacefully over the waves for a moment before collapsing onto her back to join him.

 _This is weird,_ she thought, knitting her eyebrows together. _Why am I letting this happen?_

Louise peered over at Logan bobbing lightly along with the surging waves, his eyes still shut placidly. She floated a bit closer, taking the opportunity to study his face.

He had a soft, golden tan in contrast to his light blonde hair, probably from spending so much time skateboarding. His pale eyelashes were clumped together, studded with little droplets of sea water. Louise had to resist the urge to reach out and brush her fingers along the damp lashes. She spotted a tiny freckle on the side of his chin that she had never noticed before and cocked her head to the side to get a better look.

_Pretty._

The thought had jumped into her mind without consent and she willed it away with a shake of her head.

She jumped slightly when Logan suddenly spoke.

“Do you remember the teacher we ran into at school earlier?”

 _Random, but okay,_ she thought.

“Yes.” She said, recalling the blonde beauty with ease.

“She’s my mom.”

_Wait what?_

“What?” she questioned, wide eyed. Louise had thought the woman looked familiar but had had no idea it was because she was Logan’s mother. The vibe between the two had been a little…off.

“I mean, she didn’t raise me. She’s my mom’s, Cynthia’s, younger sister. She got pregnant with me when she was fifteen, and my mom, who was already married at the time, offered to adopt me. She can’t have children so I guess it all worked out.” He paused to laugh bitterly. “I only found out about a year ago. That was why I ran away.”

_Whoa._

Louise wasn’t sure what to say. She had had no idea that Logan could be dealing with something so heavy.

“I’m sorry,” she said lamely, for lack of anything better to say.

“It’s whatever.” He almost sounded like he meant it. “You’re the only person I’ve told.”

What? Why out of all people would he choose to confide in her? She was horrible at dealing with stuff like this.

She was unsure of what to say now, so instead she sunk below the water’s surface and returned a moment later with a handful of mud. Then before she could over think it she proceeded to heave it right at Logan’s chest.

Logan looked down at his muck smeared shirt in a moment of stunned silence before exploding into a fit of laughter.

“Oh, you are so gonna get it.” He reached under the water to dig up a handful of muddy ammo, the weighty conversion already forgotten.

Louise exhaled in relief.

 _That could’ve gone badly,_ she thought, judging her risky move. All she knew was that when she was upset, a friendly brawl with her siblings always made her feel better.

Louise spun away, grappling through the water to escape Logan’s oncoming assault. She easily avoided his throws and gathered another ball of mud in her hands. She chucked the wet clump of earth at Logan, nailing him right in the shoulder.

He grabbed at his battle wound in feigned agony and toppled over into the water before resurfacing with a laugh.

Louise was readying for another throw when her eyes suddenly locked onto her pink bunny ears sitting atop Logan’s head.

Her laughter stopped abruptly, her arm dropped to her side letting the mud slip through her fingers and splash back into the ocean.

_What am I doing? He’s my enemy._

She couldn’t forget the reason she was even here with him in the first place.

“Stop.” Her voice came out sounding even and detached and she was silently grateful for it. “I don’t want to have fun with you.” She lifted her gaze from the waves crashing around her to look Logan in the eyes

He looked surprised and disappointed. Like he had just been ripped from a pleasant dream and dropped into a harsh reality.

“We’re at war, you and me.” She held her head high as she spoke, now keeping her eyes fixed on her bunny ears instead of Logan’s face.

All previous traces of gaiety and humor had vanished. Logan might think this was all a game but to Louise this was serious business.

Logan turned without a word and began walking back to shore. His steps were slow, hindered by the weight of the ocean pulling at his waterlogged clothing.

Louise followed after him once again, paddling through the water in an attempt to catch Logan before he had a chance to escape.

Salt water dripped down her face, stinging as it pooled in her eyes.  She shivered involuntarily; her wet hoodie was plastered uncomfortably to her skin, leeching all the remaining warmth from her body.

When she saw that Logan had made it onto dry land Louise yelled loudly, trying earnestly to be heard over the shifting tide.

“I’ll give you one last chance Logan.”

He stopped mid-step and turned to look at Louise still fighting her way through the water.

 _Why does he look like that?_ She thought at the sight of his face.

Louise wanted to punch him for looking so pitifully lonely. She wanted to slap him for showing her a side of him that wasn’t completely horrible. And she wanted to kick him for making her think they could be friends.

But more than anything, she wanted to shove him to the ground and rip her bunny ears off his stupid, blonde head.

When she finally reached the shore she stopped in front of Logan, both of them dripping water into the now saturated sand at their feet, and held her hand out palm up.

“One last chance Logan, just give me my ears and nobody has to get hurt.”

Louise waited for his response, outwardly stoic, but inside she was pleading that he just returns her ears. If he returned her ears now maybe they could still have a chance at being friends.

Logan seemed to be at war with himself, turning his gaze from the sand to the ocean, anywhere that wasn’t Louise. His hands twitched at his sides, lifting a bit, and for a moment Louise truly believed he would return her ears.

But then he took a step backward, finally looking Louise in the eyes before speaking.

“Do your worst.”

He took off running down the beach before Louise had a chance to react. She briefly considered chasing after him but decided against it. She was just too exhausted.

This was not how her plans were supposed to pan out. Never in a million years would she have guessed that she would enjoy spending time with Logan. And he seemed to like being with her too.

So why the hell was he so stubborn about keeping her ears?

She clenched her fists, relishing the sharp sting from her fingernails digging into her palms, and let out a long, frustrated scream before collapsing onto the warm sand.

She laid there for a while, letting the sun dry her damp clothes, and tried to puzzle out a way to get her ears back without destroying the possible friendship she could still have with Logan.


	4. Chapter 4

After spending a good few hours lying on the beach, Louise began her somber walk home ignoring the curious glances from strangers at her damp, sand encrusted clothes. When she arrived, the restaurant was unusually crowded, teeming with the gang of rowdy bikers that had been frequenting the family business as of late.

Louise peered through the front window a moment, watching her parents and siblings hustle to fill the orders of the beer addled bikers. She really should go in and help them but she was tired and frustrated and could hardly stomach the thought of dealing with her chipper family and a bustling restaurant full customers.

Besides, she still had pertinent business to attend to.

Louise snuck up to their apartment to change into a fresh set of clothes and restock the supplies in her backpack before setting out to accomplish her new plans.

She had spent hours going over countless ways to get her ears back after Logan abandoned her on the beach. It was a simple task for her, coming up with creative plans to retrieve her hat. What made it difficult though was that she didn’t want to ruin the tentative relationship she and Logan still held.

She had watched thick, gray clouds shift overhead while struggling to map out a plan that wasn’t riddled with faults. She felt mentally exhausted, like she had just spent an entire day doing algebra, when she finally settled on a plan that she hoped wouldn’t destroy any chance she and Logan still had at being friends.

It seemed kind of beneath her to get parents involved in the situation but Louise felt she had no other choice.

She made her way to Logan’s house, trying to keep her mind from constantly drifting to thoughts of the blonde boy. She counted her steps in an effort to stay distracted and ended up lost a few times before finally locating the bright, yellow house.

Louise stepped up to the front door and lifted her hand to knock before pausing. She glanced up at Logan’s window, remembering the night before when she had caught her first glimpse of the teen’s true face.

_Damn, was that really just last night?_ She thought.

She could hardly believe it with everything that had happened since; it felt like a lifetime ago. Just a night and a day was all it took for her impression of him to morph into something entirely different.

Louise turned away from his window, briefly wondering if Logan was in his room at that very moment, if he could see her now. She stared ahead at the front door, hoping that this was the right decision.

It had been difficult for her to admit, but after everything they had shared she really did want them to be friends. If she could just solve the problem at hand, if he just returned her stolen ears then maybe they could.

Louise took a long breath, steeling her resolve before rapping her knuckles on the solid, wood door. She listened to a dull clatter of footsteps coming from within the home, growing louder and then stopping completely before the door swung open.

Louise craned her neck to look up at the impeccably dressed, blonde woman, complete with a pearl necklace and perfectly, salon styled hair.

_Oh yeah, this is definitely his mom._

She thought at the sight of the woman whose appearance was just screaming wealthy, uptight mother. She could see the resemblance to Logan in the slope of her nose and the tone of her light hair; even though where blood was concerned she was only his aunt.

Louise mustered up her best wounded puppy dog eyes and dipped her head to appear the docile little girl. She looked up at the woman through her long, dark lashes before speaking.

“I hope I’m not interrupting dinner ma’am but your son, he stole something of mine.”

She watched as the woman’s face shifted from calm to aggravated as Louise spoke, turning to yell Logan’s name into the house the moment she finished her monologue. She turned back to Louise with a look of barely disguised exasperation upon her face.

“Please, come in,” she offered Louise, though seeming reluctant to do so.

Louise stepped into the massive building, her tennis shoes tapping softly on the ebony, wood floor as she followed Logan’s mother deeper into the home. Her head twisted this way and that, examining her new surroundings and possibly checking to see if Logan was in sight.

The blonde mother halted in an open living room and Louise almost stumbled into her backside for her lack of attention. The older woman gave Louise a tense smile.

“My name is Cynthia Bush by the way.” She informed Louise with forced politeness and gestured to a plush armchair within the room. “Why don’t you take a seat while I go find Logan.”

Cynthia walked briskly out of the room, her displeasure at the situation clearly evident in her stiff posture and clenched fists. Louise watched her disappear up the stairs into the second level of the house before shifting her interest to the room she was currently occupying.

The armchair where she sat, as well as its double and the couch were all a deep, cocoa brown. She ran her fingers over the soft fabric, not a single stain or perpetually damp spot in sight, quite unlike her own furniture. The walls were painted a soft blue that bore a striking resemblance to the color of Logan’s eyes. Framed photos of the family were scattered about the room.

All in all the décor spoke of money and class, giving Louise the sudden urge to smash every breakable item in the room just to see the reaction of one Mrs. Bush.

Her eye caught on a photo of Logan, reminding Louise of her intention to remain friends with him after this was over. She squashed down her destructive impulses and focused her attention on the young boy captured in the photo.

Louise inspected the family portrait encased in an ocean themed seashell frame. It showed a bathing suit clad Logan, maybe five or six, sitting on the beach covered in glittery, yellow sand, his blonde hair matted with sea water. He was flanked by his two parents, an expression of pure glee gracing each of their faces.

They looked so genuinely happy she could hardly believe it was the same family.

Just as Louise was about to stand and take a closer look at the photo she heard the echoes of multiple sets of feet stomping down the stairs and quickly turned her attention to room’s entrance.

In walked Logan’s irate mother followed by the bespectacled man Louise had seen the night before, both looking quite put out by the proceedings. Logan trailed after his fuming parents, cheeks tinted a warm pink from anger or embarrassment, Louise was unsure.

Her eyes locked onto his exposed blonde hair, her bunny ears nowhere in sight. The absence of her hat set off a little bell of alarms in her head. Where were her ears? She hadn’t seen Logan without them since he had stolen them from her.

She struggled to keep her cool as the small family seated themselves in the living room. Logan sat slouched in an armchair opposite Louise, refusing to meet her gaze, while his parents occupied the couch between them.

The two adults glared relentless daggers at their son as they tried to persuade him to give up what he stole. Their arguing faded into the background as Louise’s mind began to wander, questioning whether this had been a good idea. She didn’t want to cause Logan anymore family problems than he already had.

_Maybe they would stop fighting if I…_

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted; she jerked her head towards Logan after processing his last sentence.

“What did you just say?” She ground out between clenched teeth, digging her fingernails into the lush cushions of her chair. Surely she had heard him wrong.

“I threw it out.” He said looking bored and unaffected but still averting his eyes from Louise.

“Bull.” She breathed out fiercely. Her hands had curled into white knuckled fists at her sides, striving to keep her rage in check.

Logan finally turned to look at Louise head on, his striking blue eyes meeting her dark brown ones.

“I’m not lying. Search my room if you want.”

Louise’s eyes grew wide. There was no way. He wouldn’t do this to her, not after today, after she had revealed to him what made her ears so special. She thought they would be friends. There was still a chance. But now…

Any shred of sympathy she held for the boy, any hopes she had for future friendship flew out the window with the last ounce of control she had over her temper.

With a feral scream Louise launched herself across the room at Logan, savoring the way his eyes flew open with candid shock. She clutched his shirt collar in her hands and pulled his face so near their noses almost touched. Her furious breaths mingled with his terrified gasps.

“Where?” She growled.

“What?” He stammered. His huge, ocean colored eyes darted wildly back and forth between his stunned parents and Louise.

“Where did you throw out my ears?” Her voice was low and more menacing than even she knew she was capable of.

“The Panchos Tacos on Riverside.” He said quickly, stumbling over his words.

Logan let out a thankful breath of relief as Louise finally released her death grip on his shirt front. He watched her dart out the front door faster than he thought possible for someone with such short legs.

000000000

Louise spent the next few hours breathless, running all across town trying desperately to track down her discarded bunny ears. When her tireless search brought her to the city dump she could feel her last vestiges of hope draining away.

When the uniform attired man working the incinerator informed her of what had become of the days trash haul she truly snapped. Her left eye twitched violently as she fell to her knees in front of the burning trash heap. She dragged her dirt smeared palms down her face and let out a long, suffering scream.

She couldn’t believe it. Her ears couldn’t be gone, it couldn’t be true.

But if it was true, if her ears were actually gone, then someone had to pay. And she knew exactly who that someone was.

Louise dropped her hands from her fire warmed cheeks as she began to chuckle, quietly at first before dissolving into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. She felt consumed by a twisted joy derived from the many ideas popping into her mind, ways to make Logan suffer for what he had done.

“Revenge!” She yelled loudly, not caring if anyone was bearing witness to her breakdown.

Louise had let herself open up to Logan, against her every instinct screaming to block him out she had actually let him in and he had repaid her with complete betrayal. She was going to show him exactly what happens when you mess with Louise Belcher.

000000000

The sun was already setting as Louise made her solemn trip home. Its dying rays of light were blocked out by heavy, gray storm clouds, leaving the streets and buildings in a bleak state of darkness. She thought it was quite fitting under the current circumstances.

Her hands busily picked at her finger nails and scratched her head furiously while she walked in an unconscious effort to distract herself from the permanent loss of her ears.

Thankfully her mind began to bubble with an endless stream of revenge plots. Her favorite so far being to hide tarantula egg sacks throughout Logan’s bedroom and wait for the magnificent day they would burst from their nests and swarm the unsuspecting blonde, hopefully in his sleep.

Louise was smiling unawares, envisioning Logan shrieking in terror, covered in starving baby tarantulas when she realized she was already home. She peeked through the front window; the restaurant was abounding with life, once again crowded with alcohol buzzed bikers and a dangerous amount of broken glass. She caught sight of Critter, the One Eyed Snakes newly appointed leader, as he whipped out a switchblade and brandished it in her startled father’s face before tossing his head back in a fit of amused laughter.

Louise’s dark brows rose as an idea struck her.

She pushed open the smudged front door of the restaurant, little bells tinkling behind her, marched confidently up to Critter and halted firmly in front of him. She looked up at the burly man as he stared back down at her, one bushy eyebrow raised in question.

“I have a small favor to ask you.”

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The following day after school Louise and her two siblings began their walk home, making sure to take the route that would pass Logan’s usual hangout.

Louise noticed Tina snatching glances at her as they walked side by side. She let out an exasperated sigh.

“What is it Tina?” Louise asked.

“Oh, I just wanted to let you know that I told mom and dad you stayed the night at a friend’s house the other day. You know, that day you didn’t come home for more than 24 hours. Where were you by the way? Just curious.” Tina responded, trying too hard to sound nonchalant.

Louise could sense the concern in her older sister’s voice. She appreciated that Tina had covered for her unexplained absence but was still reluctant to give all the gory details of her recent escapades. The wound was still too fresh for her to start poking and prodding at it.

“Thanks for the cover T. And don’t worry about where I’ve been; it’ll all be over soon anyway.” She said cryptically, allowing a conniving smile to crawl up her cheeks.

“What does she mean by that?” Gene asked warily.

The three kids arrived at the skateboarding teens’ domain, already being occupied by Logan and his friends. The blonde boy seemed a bit uncomfortable at the sight of Louise but quickly covered it up with that familiar smirk.

“Well look who it is. I’m surprised you don’t have pig ears the way you squeal.” Logan said pointedly at Louise. It didn’t sound quite as venomous as she knew he was capable of. His friends gave a light chuckle at the taunting remark anyway.

Louise stomped boldly up to Logan, leaving her nervous siblings behind to observe, and regarded his ridicule with a booming, sarcastic laughter. She smiled deviously up at him before speaking.

“How’s your hearing?” she asked innocently.

“Uh…Pretty good. Why?” He asked perturbed, arching a single, pale brow at her inquiry.

Louise reached up, grabbed his maroon shirt front and pulled his face close to hers. The bright whites of Logan’s eyes grew full with the unexpected action.

“Well then, I guess you can hear that.” She said her voice low and ambiguous.

They both turned their heads at the thundering sound of engines revving in the distance. Logan’s sneer quickly transformed into a terrified frown at the sight of a large group of hulking bikers rushing down the road towards them.

Louise moved in even closer to the stunned Logan.

“That’s the sound of revenge.” She whispered cruelly in his ear before releasing her firm hold on his t-shirt.

Logan backed away, stammering apprehensively as he whipped his head about at the menacing bikers now circling him. The heat from the powerful engines was a stifling companion to the midday sun as the bikes drew closer and closer. The deafening roar halted abruptly as the men cut their engines, leaving them in silence.

Louise turned to the shivering Logan, gripping his skateboard in front of his chest like a shield, and let her rage take over.

“Hell hath no fury like I do Logan!” She yelled dramatically, raising her hands for affect before dropping them back to her sides. “You took my ears and threw them away and now these guys are going to take _your_ ears and throw _them_ away!” She pointed a finger at Critter who was doing a fantastic job of looking intimidating as he stalked toward the quivering, wide eyed Logan.

“What!” he exclaimed, his eyes growing unbelievably wide.

Logan’s friends backed away uneasily, abandoning him to the mercy of the bulky man approaching with a worn blade. Critter raised the knife to within inches of the blonde youth’s neck and just when Louise expected him to lose consciousness from fear the biker harmlessly cut the tag from Logan’s shirt and pulled away.

Logan crumbled to the ground in a sweaty pile of nerves. Louise focused on his trembling form, his terrified eyes and damp forehead, and tried to feel happy at her success. She had attained her revenge and Logan looked like he was going to vomit. Those were all good things, right? But her ears were still gone and bullying the culprit into a whimpering puddle didn’t make that fact any less painful.

She was contemplating whether she could get Critter to slice off Logan’s ears for real when he suddenly yanked something from his backpack, the boy’s hand shook severely as he held out the pink object for all to see.

“Here.” He stammered. “I never threw them out, okay? I’m so sorry.”

Louise stared mouth agape at the astonishing sight of her bunny ears clutched in Logan’s tan fingers. She couldn’t believe it. She thought they were gone forever.

“My ears.” She said in awe, grabbing the hat from the blonde and slipping them triumphantly onto her head. It felt as if her whole body sighed in relief at the feeling of having her bunny ears back where they rightfully belonged. Her lips curled back in a joyful smile.

She looked down at the sniveling boy still collapsed on the concrete, muttering about his ears. Her smile faded a bit at the pathetic sight that she caused.

The last few days with Logan had been strange to say the least, but she had never wanted things to end this way. She had sincerely hoped to gain another friend, someone she could match fists with. But after everything they had done to each other it was probably impossible to repair their relationship.

She didn’t want to see his face anymore. The sight of him was dampening her high spirits from the long awaited return of her ears.

“Don’t ever mess with us again, Logan.” She stated calmly, leaning in close. “Now get the hell out of here!” She yelled and pointed down the street.

Logan stood hastily and sprinted away from the ruffians, his traumatized companions in toe.

Louise ran her hands over the warm bunny ears and sighed as she watched him go, wondering why, even though her hat was back, did she still feel like shit.

000000000

Late that night when the rest of her family was already asleep, Louise sat awake in bed, her troubled mind constantly replaying the events of the past few days over and over. Logan, of course, being the main focus.

She grabbed at the bunny ears sitting atop her head and ran her fingers over the well-worn fabric just to confirm that it was really there. Logan’s scent seemed to linger on the pink cloth and Louise swore she could smell him now when she breathed.

It was driving her crazy.

From the moment she had met him Logan had always smelled of fresh lemons and mint, most likely Cynthia’s doing. But the aroma was quite intoxicating and it was making it all the more difficult for her to stop thinking about the blonde. Every time she managed to distract herself, her mind ended up wandering back to thoughts of Logan and the time they spent together.

But most of all she couldn’t stop thinking about how furious she was at him. He had betrayed her trust and she had made him pay, but she still didn’t feel any better. Really, she had a very strong urge to punch a wall, or set something on fire or just do anything other than sit here and mope.

_Screw this!_

With an exasperated huff she kicked the bed covers back with restless legs and shot out of bed. She hurriedly changed out of her pajamas and into a reliable pair of shorts and a t-shirt along with sturdy, blue sneakers. She snuck quietly out her bedroom window and climbed down the rain gutters. Her feet tapped silently onto the ground and she ran into the night with a specific destination in mind

000000000

Louise stood in front of the dark house, a gaggle of small stones growing warm in her hand. She sought out Logan’s bedroom window on the barely moonlit home and began chucking her gathered rocks at the glass. They clinked loudly against the window pane before clattering to the ground near Louise’s feet.

She pulled her arm back, readying her fourth throw when the window was thrust open and Logan’s sleep tousled head popped out looking irritated and confused. When he focused on Louise standing in the darkened street his confusion faded away leaving only irritation and a healthy dose of worry.

Louise briefly considered launching the still locked and loaded rock at his exposed head before dropping her arm and allowing the rest of her ammo to tumble harmlessly to the ground.

“Why did you do it?” She shouted angrily, not caring if the racket disturbed Logan’s sleeping parents or neighbors.

Logan, of course, felt otherwise and tried urgently to shush Louise while leaning out from his second story window. He gestured wildly with his hands in an attempt to convey the importance the she subdue her loud outbursts.

“Louise, please not so loud. My parents…” Logan stage whispered frantically before Louise cut in.

“Shut up! Do you know what you put me through? I thought my ears were gone forever.” Her anger began to subside halfway through her monologue, tapering off quietly at the end as she reached up to stroke her bunny ears.

“I know. I’m sorry.” He said just above a whisper. “Just…why don’t you come up? Hold on.” He disappeared into his room leaving Louise alone in the shadows. Her rage had dwindled with the passing time and she waited curiously for his return.

A few minutes later a makeshift rope fashioned from large, heavy sheets spilled out the window and landed silently at Louise’s feet. Baffled by the unexpected offer she looked up at Logan who motioned for her to climb up. She tugged at the rope, testing its sturdiness before clambering up with some difficulty. She never was any good at rope climb in gym class.

When she approached the top, Logan reached out and placed one hand on her arm and the other on her back to help hoist her over window sill. Louise clattered softly to her feet within the bedroom before hastily swiping Logan’s hands away.

He took a step back to give her space, running a hand through his bedhead nervously. He waited with bated breath expecting her to explode in fury any second and pummel his face to a pulp but she just glanced around the room calmly.

Logan stood by patiently as she ambled about the small space examining his books and fiddling with trophies on a shelf. She cocked her head to the side, much like a bird Logan thought, looking closely at a family portrait.

“Louise…” He started cautiously but stopped when she whipped her head around to face him, bunny ears flopping with the sudden motion.

“How could you do that to me?” She kept her voice softer this time but the enmity was still present. “After I told you what these ears meant to me. How could you make me think they were gone forever?”

She was putting painstaking effort into keeping her emotions concealed. But whenever she was with Logan she seemed to reveal everything she tried so carefully to keep hidden.

She risked a peek at his face. Logan’s eyes were downcast; his pupils shifting like troubled waters. He looked more remorseful than she thought him capable of.

“Louise, I’m sorry. I…” He trailed off weakly, feeling unequipped with the skills needed to deal with the situation.

“Just tell me why.” She said taking a step toward him. “I know why you took them but why did you keep them for so long? Why did you lie to me about throwing them out?” Louise could feel her tentative control slipping with each new question. “What could you have possibly had to gain from keeping my ears, Logan?”

He finally met her gaze head on; his electric blue eyes now steady with conviction.

“You.” He said resolutely.

“What?” She stammered taken aback by his bold statement. Familiar warmth began to spread across her face.

“As long as I had those ears,” he gestured to the pink hat sitting on Louise’s head, “You stuck to me like glue. And I liked having you around.”

Louise’s face wasn’t cooling off anytime soon, her cheeks blooming a darker red with each new blunt confession.

Logan continued undaunted. “We had fun together, didn’t we?”

She found herself nodding imperceptibly. She really did have fun with Logan. He was nothing like the spoiled rich kid she had originally pegged him for. She had really begun to trust him and when he lied about trashing her ears not only was she upset about losing her precious hat but she also felt like he betrayed her.

This was all too much. Louise was struggling to process the unfamiliar emotions flying around her head as well as fighting off the ever increasing urge to punch a wall.

Logan continued unaware of Louise’s inner turmoil.

“I knew that the moment I gave back that hat you would stop hanging around me for good. I guess I was just trying to keep you around for as long as possible. I would never really throw out your ears.” Logan’s cheeks were now tinted by a faint blush as well, his revealing confession finally catching up with him.

Louise was awestruck by Logan’s honest admission.

She took large, purposeful steps towards him, grabbed his shirt collar pulling him down to her level and punched him right across the cheek. She couldn’t help but smile at the satisfying sting from her knuckles connecting with his cheekbone. Already his left cheek was blossoming a deep red, brighter than either of their embarrassed flushes. He looked stunned but didn’t otherwise react.

“That’s for making me think you threw out my ears.” She growled in his face.

Her expression softened before she leaned in close and planted a quick peck on his sore cheek. She pulled away hurriedly, their faces still near enough that she could feel the heat from his surprised gasp.

“And that’s for not being as completely terrible as I thought you were.” She said with a mischievous smile.

If she thought he looked shocked before, that was nothing compared to his current bulging eyes and slack jaw. She was already climbing through the open window before Logan had a chance to respond. She ascended the cloth rope quickly while a stupefied Logan watched from his window.

When her feet hit solid ground she turned to look up at the blonde. She reached a hand up to her face, pulled on the skin below one eye and stuck out her tongue in a familiar childish taunt. Logan burst into a fit of raucous laughter at the sight of her contorted face before matching her teasing expression with his own.

Louise let slip a round of melodious laughter that made Logan’s smile grow wider before turning to sprint down the darkened road. Logan sat perched on his window sill and focused on the bright pink bunny ears as they faded down the dimly lit street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks so much for reading! So this is the end of part 1, I hope you enjoyed it. I'm planning on doing multiple parts for this story, not sure how many yet but probably at least 4. The next part is going to take place 2 years later, so Louise will have just turned 12 and Logan will be 18. Hopefully it goes well but I already have a bit of writers block. So if anybody has suggestions of things they want to see happen I'd love to hear them. Thanks again for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first fan fiction ever so I hope you liked it. And since I don't really know what I'm doing any tips or constructive critiques would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading and hopefully I get the next chapter up soon.


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